American made needles have been one of the most difficult things for me to find as a relatively new knitter.
It seems as if every one of the big name brands like ChiaoGoo (made in China), Lykke (made in Nepal), Knitter’s Pride (made in India), and HiyaHiya (which are also made in China, I believe) are made abroad. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it’s really quite nice to be able to find and support domestic products when you can.
Herein lies the problem: it is VERY difficult to find knitting supplies made in North America! Not a single one of the Local Yarn Stores that I’ve visited carries American-made knitting supplies, though I’m trying to order a set of needles… hoping they’ll be able to accommodate this request.
So I started researching, doing a little online sleuthing as it were, and here are five brands that I found. As of writing this blog post, I’m sad to say that I haven’t had the chance to purchase any of these, but I hope to get some in the future and share my experience with them.
Indian Lake Artisans calls southeastern Michigan home. They use sustainably sourced hardwoods from the Great Lakes region, work with Michigan companies for production, and are home to the “hexagonal needle.”
Now, supposedly Brittany Needles can be found locally, but I can’t seem to find them, so perhaps I’m not looking hard enough?
Brittany Needles works hard to insure that their business is recycle friendly, which can be very difficult for small businesses and oftentimes not cost-efficient. So, kudos to the owners for caring enough to make the effort. ❤
Their needles are made of absolutely gorgeous, sustainably harvested birch wood. They offer both knitting needles (straight and DPNs) and crochet hooks as well as needle wax to keep your tools in tip-tip condition!
Interestingly, Dyak Craft started out on the fiber side of things before adding tools to their repertoire. Located in Vermont, they use local sources when possible, but source only from the US when local isn’t available.
They are known for their Darn Pretty needles, but I’ve got my eye on the Northern Light line. 😛
Signature Needle Arts is based in my home state of Wisconsin, so they’re northern like me, and focus on mainly metal knitting needles. I adore metal knitting needles for the ease of working the yarn!
The owner has a great story about wanting sharper points on her metal needles, having the resources to modify them, and then realizing that she could offer this great product to the knitting community!
They offer a great line of straight, circular and double point metal needles that I’m just dying to get my hands on.
Based in Holland, Louet has a Canadian-based manufacturer that produces it’s products in North America.
They offer a really interesting “square” needle as well as soft and firm cables for circular needles that I’m really intrigued about.
I just realized, as I finish typing up this post, that I’ve listed these from most to least colorful, lol. Anyways, I hope that you’ve enjoyed my little blurbs about this topic.
Meandering Michelle 